Open Miami | Personal Blog | Miami Localhttp://openmediamiami.com
Miami's Local BlogTue, 12 Nov 2013 16:53:42 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.7.22Industrial Renovations In Port Of Miamihttp://openmediamiami.com/2013/11/industrial-renovations-in-port-of-miami/
http://openmediamiami.com/2013/11/industrial-renovations-in-port-of-miami/#commentsTue, 12 Nov 2013 16:53:42 +0000http://openmediamiami.com/?p=47The port of Miami is getting more than a face-lift, it is re-engineering its systems for tourism, business, transportation and trade. Port development is comprised of initiatives termed “large capital projects.” The colossal undertaking is a collaborative effort between federal, state and private-sector contractors. The projects are estimated to increase revenue from $18 billion to $27 billion adding 146,000 jobs.

PortMiami Deep Dredge Project

Miami’s port channel is the number one cruise destination in the world and 11th busiest cargo port in North America. To compete at a higher level the city has embarked on he Deep Dredge project. After obtaining authorization from Congress and eliciting management from the Army Corps of Engineers work has begun to deepen the port canal from 42 ft to 50 ft. The modified channel will accommodate super carrier cargo ships expected to deliver goods via the Panama Canal after the canal’s expansion in 2015. The Deep Dredge project will also accommodate large cruise liners estimated to boost tourism from 4.7 million to 5.9 million annually. The dredge project is scheduled for completion in 2015.

Miami tunnel project

In June 2011 a 457 ft Tunnel Boring Machine began mining eastward toward PortMiami. The goal is to construct a 3,900 ft long tunnel 120 ft below Biscayne bay with a price tag of $1 billion. Designed with two side-by-side tubes and four lanes, the tunnel will give cargo vehicles direct access to port facilities. It is the only tunnel in the world that will usher traffic from port to highway without traffic signals. The tunnel project will also widen the MacArthur causeway by one lane in each direction. The tunnel & highway construction is scheduled for completion in 2014.

Intermodal improvements

The Miami port FEC (Florida East Coast) Railway built in the 1800s will be refurbished and reintroduced in 2015. The $50 million rail system is expected to distribute goods originating from Latin America and Asia to north Florida and eventually 70 percent of the U.S., in less than four days (via CSX and Norfolk Southern railroad). The rail system is anticipated to have an impact on greenhouse emissions by eliminating 400,000 annual truck trips.

Crane and terminal renovations

The Miami board of community commissioners and mayor’s office created a 25 year plan to upgrade the port facility from 13 cranes to 25 cranes more than 25 years. The upgrades will begin with installation of 4 super cranes to accommodate the super carrier cargo ships traversing the Panama canal. Port developers have already spent $20 million to improve cruise terminals to accommodate large cruise ships.

The Miami region is investing in infrastructure that is slated to impact the local and national economy. The management and coordination of these industrial endeavors is nothing short of logistical and engineering genius.

]]>http://openmediamiami.com/2013/11/industrial-renovations-in-port-of-miami/feed/0Who should pay for new stadiums? Not the Public!http://openmediamiami.com/2013/05/who-should-pay-for-new-stadiums-not-the-public/
http://openmediamiami.com/2013/05/who-should-pay-for-new-stadiums-not-the-public/#commentsSun, 05 May 2013 16:35:34 +0000http://openmediamiami.com/?p=43A very controversial topic in sports today is who should pay for new stadiums. The reason it is so controversial is owners threaten to move teams if the public doesn’t finance them, even though, many times the public unfairly bears the brunt of the financing of a new stadium. This is no different in Miami, as the new Sun Life Stadium would be unfair to the public, and would hurt the citizens and businesses more than it would help them.

The bed tax that the government wants to levee to finance the new stadium would hurt Miami more, since hotel rooms will become more expensive, so it will lose some appeal as a cheap vacation destination. The people who suffer from this are not going to be the people who will be enjoying the new stadium. House maids, bell hops, and front desk help are going to be pinched the most by this, because there will be less work for them. Further, there is a larger wave that will hurt stores, restaurants, and other entities that make money off of tourists. Once more, many of these people are not going to be enjoying the benefits either.The thing that should happen is that team owners should pay for the new stadium. Whether this is taking money from their own pocket, getting a loan from a mega-bank, or raising ticket prices slightly, it needs to happen through them. This ensures that the people who will enjoy and benefits from the stadium take the brunt of the cost, and it will cause them to be more responsible for what they are asking for.

Also, team owners bought the team, and that includes the stadium that the individual now owns as well. Expecting the government to pay for a private business to renovate sounds exceptionally weird, and wrong, because in no other form of business does this actually happen. If you as a business owner don’t have a good location or store for your business then you have to worry about that, and you can’t go to the government and ask for them to tax everyone to help you pay for your new store. Sports teams should be no different, especially since everyone doesn’t enjoy the benefits, unlike a road, or park. Owners need to be held responsible for building new stadiums, no the average person.

]]>http://openmediamiami.com/2013/05/who-should-pay-for-new-stadiums-not-the-public/feed/0Grease Trap Cleaning Miami – Dirty Jobhttp://openmediamiami.com/2013/02/grease-trap-cleaning-miami-dirty-job/
http://openmediamiami.com/2013/02/grease-trap-cleaning-miami-dirty-job/#commentsSun, 17 Feb 2013 04:38:10 +0000http://openmediamiami.com/?p=14We may have found the dirtiest job in Miami and its all about keeping restraunts running smooth with grease trap cleaning. All restraunts have grease traps. What is a grease trap you might ask? It is a tank that traps all the grease and food particles from the kitchen sinks, floor drains, and the dishwasher. It is there to prevent all that grease and food waste from clogging the city sewer lines.

Grease traps have to be pumped & cleaned frequently to prevent a sewage backup in the kitchen. They are cleaned out with large vacuum trucks. Today we got to tag along with a locally family owned grease trap service company as they pumped out grease traps primarily in Miami.

Our first stop was at a restaurant in Miami. The grease trap was desperate for a good cleaning.

The grease trap was neglected and the grease caused a blockage in the plumbing lines. They stuck the hose from the truck into the tank and started pumping. Water was added with a pressure washer to cut up the grease.

The picture below shows the grease trap clean.

Another job well done. That day they proceeded to do 3 more jobs in Miami Beach, North Miami, and Coral Gables. When they were done pumping they went to dump the truck at the treatment plant in Key Biscayne.

]]>http://openmediamiami.com/2013/02/grease-trap-cleaning-miami-dirty-job/feed/12013 Ultra Music Festival Miamihttp://openmediamiami.com/2013/02/2013-ultra-music/
http://openmediamiami.com/2013/02/2013-ultra-music/#commentsMon, 11 Feb 2013 03:46:19 +0000http://openmediamiami.com/?p=1Imagine some of the top names in House, Pop and Electronic music and you will have a good idea of what to expect for the 2013 Ultra Music Festival line up. Some of the headliners include Skrillex, The Weekend, Sleigh Bells, Azealia Banks, Snoop Dogg, Fatboy Slim, Boys Noize, The Bloody Beetroots, Kaskade and many more. The festival is a double weekend musical festival that takes place in Bayfront Park in Miami, Florida.

Miami’s Ultra Music Festival is one of the largest music festivals in Florida. In fact, over 150,000 people are expected to attend this year as well as an additional weekend of music festivities has been added to the roster of events. Some of the 2012 performers included Skrillex, Kraftwerk, M83, Duck Sauce, Fatboy Slim, Justice, Armin Van Buuren, Ferry Cortsen, SBTRKT and many more acts. The musical festival seems to be expanding each year as well as becoming one of the most well respected Electronic Music festivals in the world.

Let us take a look at two of the most celebrated and anticipated headliners this year and see what we can expect from one of the most exciting music festivals on the planet. Additionally, these two performers are returning to the festival from last year and are expected to pull out a lot more tricks and stunts this year. Moreover, these two performers were some of the favorites from last year and are expected to release some new material for the 2013 Ultra Music Festival as well.

Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim is the moniker for DJ, producer and musician Norman Cook. He has been in the music industry since 1979 and in 1996 released his first album under the Fatboy Slim name with Better Living Through Chemistry to much critical acclaim and success. He is a returning favorite at the festival and is expected to unleash a few new songs this year.

Skrillex is the stage name of Sonny John Moore. Moore launched his career as an upcoming Electronic musician in 2002. He has performed all over the world as well as retained a well respected image for himself as DJ and House musician. He was nominated for 5 Grammy awards in 2011 and has become a living legend of the genre of House music called Dub Step. Expect flare and fireworks with this performed at the 2013 Ultra Music Festival.